The Red Circle

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE THE RED CIRCLE 1 “Well, Mrs Warren, I am sorry I cannot help you. I really have other things to do,” said Sherlock Holmes. But Mrs Warren would not give up. “You helped a lodger of mine last year,” she said - “Mr Fairdale Hobbs.” “Ah, yes - an easy matter.” “But he always talked about how kind you were, sir, and how you helped him at a difficult time. I remembered his words when I was troubled myself. I know you can help if only you want to.” “Well, well, Mrs Warren,” said Holmes and pushed back his chair, “let us hear about it, then. May I smoke? Thank you, Watson - the matches! Your new lodger remains in his rooms, I understand. You are troubled be­ cause you never see him. My dear Mrs War­ ren, I’m sure there is nothing strange in that.” “But it frightens me Mr Holmes. I am so frightened that I cannot sleep. I hear his quick lodger, one who pays for a room in another’s house. smoke, see picture page 4. matches, see picture page 4. frighten, to make afraid. quick, fast-moving. 3 Sherlock Holm es smokes match step from early morning to late at night. But I never see him. That is more than I can bear. My husband is also troubled about it. But he is at work all day, while I get no rest from it. What is he hiding for? W hat has he done? The husband, the man a woman is married to. hide, here, to stay in a place where nobody can see you. 4 girl and I are all alone in the house with him. And that is more than I can bear.” Holmes put his hand on the woman’s arm. The frightened look left her eyes. She sat down in a chair. “If I take up the matter I must know every little thing,” he said. “Take time to consider. The smallest point may be the most impor­ tant. You say that the man came ten days ago, and paid you for a fortnight?” “He asked me how much I wanted. I said two pounds a week. There is a small sittingroom and bedroom at the top of the house.” “Well?” “He said, ‘I’ll pay you five pounds a week if I can have it on my own terms! I’m a poor woman, sir, and Mr Warren doesn’t make much money. The money meant a lot to me. The man took out a ten-pound note, and he held it out to me there and then and said, ‘You can have the same every fortnight for a long time to come if you keep the terms,’ he said. ‘If not, I’ll have no more to do with you.’” “What were the terms?” “Well, sir, he wanted a key to the house. fortnight, two weeks. term, condition. 5 That was all right. Lodgers often have them. Also, that we should leave him to himself, and never, ever disturb him.” “Nothing strange about that, I’m sure,” said Holmes. “No sir. But t h i s is strange. He has been there for ten days and none of us have seen him once. We can always hear that quick step of his. He walks up and down, up and down, night and day. He only went out of the house on that first night.” “Oh, he went out the first night, did he?” “Yes, sir, and returned very late - after we were all in bed. He told me that he would do so.” “But his meals?” “We leave his meals on a chair, outside the door, when he rings. That is what he told us to do. He rings again when he has finished. Then we take it down from the same chair. If he wants anything else he prints it o